Summer Continued

A word to the wise.

So lovely to be able to say that here, in Canada, summer will meander along until further notice. Today: another glorious day of clear blue skies, replete with sunshine and flowers on the bloom everywhere. One look out the window and gratitude taps you on the shoulder.

 Snowshoes. A friendly reminder to enjoy the lovely summer days.

Sailing anyone?  Looks like we might be heading north. But we can, with a good wind tack in other directions.

Coral bells. O the colour!

 

 

* * *

Off the drawing board...a few things.

I've been holding on to my pastels for more than a year now. Sometimes one needs a little push to try something new, especially when it comes to beautiful pastels. (They need to be broken to work with. I didn't want to do it.)
 Recently, a friend send me a picture of a sunset and before I knew it I was breaking pastels, not only with abandon, but with glee. Apparently a little inspiration goes a long way.

 For this painting, I used Uart Sanded Paper. Because this paper tends to buckle,  from now on I will spray it down with water and iron it flat and weight it down (there must be a few heavy books around here ) until it dries.

Last week I started a folder for my sky pictures. ( I have a lot of them and want to get them together for reference for pastel paintings.) From fair to stormy skies, I love them all.  Summer, spring and fall are great times for ever changing array of clouds.  One of my mottos: Look up!

* *  *

I bought this cheap wooden box to put my pastels in. Added a coat of acrylic paint, and then decided to paint a flower.  Because I did not plan to paint anything, I didn't sand the box first, but I may sand around the flower and add a coat of varnish. The smoothness of the wood so lovely to paint on. Gamblin oil paints. What a dream.

Iris in oil on canvas.  

Linking to Mosaic Monday and  Our World Tuesday and on Wednesday with My Corner of the World on Wednesday.

See you in September...

Cultivate Your Dreams!

Throwing Off the Bowlines

      One day this month I felt the urge to throw off the bowlines, so off I motored off to Ottawa to see Gauguin's Portrait exhibition among other things.
As I mentioned on Instagram, it must take years to put an exhibition together. Especially since this is the first show of Gauguin's portraits. Of course, the paintings for the exhibition were procured from private collectors and museums from all over the world. What a feat!

Then, somehow, they pull it all together, right down to the colour of the walls. It would be exiting, I think, to be a fly on the wall to see how it is done and how many people it takes to make it look so seamless.

Selected paintings could be photographed. Guess who got into trouble a few times. Over zealous. Moi?...Never!

So without further adieu a few of my favourite paintings from the exhibition and other parts of the gallery.

                                                                Gauguin

 A colourful palette, but, then, Gauguin and Vincent were friends; influences probably rubbed both ways. Also, as you can see, when you know what you are doing colour unites.

                                           I especially love this vivid portrait of Madame Roulin 1888.

Tehamana ~ 1893

                                                                Another Gauguin selfie.

               
     I can't imagine painting a self portrait, but who knows if I could I might.

Company for the winter.

Moving on to other galleries. A few more of the wonderful painters that I love.

  I've been to The National Gallery of Canada several times, but with so much to see, I may never cover it all.

                                                                 Van Gogh's Irises.

Monet ~ 1887-90

Cezanne ~ 1873-4

Chagall ~ 1924

Pissarro ~ 1875

Stunning!    Gauguin ~ 1882

So in love with  James Tissot's "The Letter"  ~ 1878

Degas ~ 1887-90

Renoir ~1879-84 

Picasso ~ 1919

A few from the contemporary section.

Alex Janvier

From Australia the wonderful Danie Mellor.  Besides being a fabulous painter, he's also gorgeous.

( Did I say that?)

What a fascinating painting. And just look at the scale of it. I tried to imagine planning it, but, unfortunately, I lack such skills.

Weaved paper too. That sounds interesting.

Leaving you with a double rainbow...

Thanks for visiting, lovelies.

Cultivate Your Dreams

Summer

Hi there,

I hope life has been treating you kindly.
Here we have skipped from a late spring to summer. Oh so lovely, especially the warm breezes that are loaded with, depending on where you are, the delicious scent of all sorts of blossoms and wild roses.

  “Summer afternoon—summer afternoon; to me those have always been the two most beautiful words in the English language.” 

                         Henry James                                     

Somewhere along the river.

Bearded Irises. So grand!

On a neighbourhood fence, a Trumpet Vine. When it blooms, I hope to take a few pictures.

Peonies

Even the blooms are eloquent. 

I love hostas too. ( Me and my shadow.)

Next...On the Wild side.

Wild Flox. 

Wild Geranium 

 

  Wild Roses. They smell heavenly.

Once the petals begin to fall,  I'll dry the them for potpourri. 

 * *  *

Moving on to a few pictures from my container gardens. I don't remember sharing any of my container plantings before.  Even though I said I wasn't going to plant many, I planted 27 containers this year. They give me joy! So I can't help myself.

My Fuchsia.

Cosmos. I love how they wave about in the breeze.

 Ferns are a must.

On the grow. Pansies and Sweet Potato Vine.

You may remember this watercolour painting. I didn't like how the fern stock was leading the eye.  Contemplating, but I think I will be satisfied with a few more twigs and a small piece of fern.

* * * 

"I wonder what it would be like to live in a world where it is always June."

Lucy Maude Montgomery

 

'Til Next Time, lovely people.

Cultivate your dreams.

Linking with My Corner of the World and on Thursday with Wandering Camera at Whims and Fancies.